Coupler operating mechanism



Sept 1959 D. WlLLlSON 2,904,191

' COUPLER OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 31, 1956 'i'El- Z INVENTOR. DOA/AM W/AZ/SO/V A TTO/QNEV United States PatentO 2,904,191 comm OPERATING MECHANISM Donald Willison, Maple Heights, Ohio, assignor to National Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Applieation December 3-1 1956,'Seiial No. 631,556 10 Claims. (Cl. 213- 171) This invention relatesto 'railw'aycar coupler operating mechanism and more particularly to the bracket structure which fsupports the fcoup'le'r operating'rod "on the end of the railway vehicle.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, the conventional operating rod of coupler operating mechanism is usually attached -'at its inner -or hooked end to a rotor "shaft member Which actuates the unlocking mechanism of the coupler, and at its outer end is supported on a bracket "attached to the end of the car.

In the copending application of Edward Kozak, Serial No. 588,552, file'd May 3 1, 1956, there is disclosed an arrangement of operating mechanism for an interlocking ty 'pe coupler wherein the rotor shaft member embodies means for preventing bperation of the unlocking mechpf the coupler in the event the coupler is accidentally pulled out of the end of its associated car. .More particularly, the Kozak application discloses a rotor shaft member having a slottedsection therein through which "th'e'hook-end of the operating rod is adapted topass in the event of an accidental pull-outof the coupler from its associated vehicle, to thereby cause facile separation of the rod and rotor shaft and preclude actuation as well as distortion of the operating mechanism of the coupler. As is well understood "by those skilled in the art, unless a coupler, which iscoupled to"an"oppos'ing coupler but which has been pulled out from its associated vehicle, remains in locked condition, it will iriv'ariably disengage from its mating coupler and drop tothe track bed, Where it might cause a train derailment.

When the operating rod of a pulled-out 'co'upler separates from the rotor shaft in accordance with the above identified 'Kozak invention, the rod is then supported only at its outer end by the bracket on the end of the car. With prior art constructions of brackets, 'the'in'ner end of-the rod'drops down toward the track bed, wherein his in a position to engage one of *the wheels of the car, or portions of the track "bed. If the rod ngages a wheel of the car it may possibly cause a derailment or might interfere with the rotation of the "wheel'fand damage the tread thereof. If the'r'od catches on a'portion of the track bed, it might distort the bracket and "rod structure or rip it entirely from the car.

The present invention provides a novel construction of operating rod support bracket that precludes an operatingrod that has separated from its associated car coupler from dropping down into a position where it might engage with the Wheels of the car or the track bed. More particularly, the present invention provides an operating rod bracket comprising a support shelf extending generally laterally from the inner end of the bracket for s'upp'orting'the rod and maintaininglit elevated above the track bed. a V t "The primary "object of the invention is to provide a novel operating rod bracket for'supporti'ng the operating "rod of a car coupler above the track bed inthe event associated car cou ler.

' vie er the Fig; vaariah eih'eh I v Another dbjectdf'the invention is to provide an operating r'odbracketof the latter mentioned type that issimple in design, eflective in operation, and economical *to pr duce. I g Y I A net er "object of "the invention is 'to provide'an eperati rod bracket havihg supper: mea s 't'he'roii for preventin the operating rod of "a car coupler 'frcim dropping doWniiito enga ed relationship with the track bed or with fine efth'e wheels of theas'so'ciated railwa vehicle, 'inthe fev'ei t the ihner end or the 'ro'di's detached from the as'soeiated'car e'eiiplsr. A more 's'pecific object of the invention is to provide 'a novel support bracket for 'the operating "rb'd of'an automatic c'a'r coupler, comprising 'a bearing portion which permits transverse movement-er the rod with respect to the ear aiid 'a shelf extending laterally hem the bearing portion toward the "car coupler, forfsuppdrti'n'g the re a ev the track bed "in the event that the inner end "of the rod "becomes detached from the coupler.

Other "features and advanta es "of the invention Will be apparent from the following description taken in'co'nljililctibn With the drawings, whe'r'ei'n' i Fig. l is'a front elevational view of the operating mechanism "of the 'coiip'le'r in reposed position 'and'showihg the n vel bracket for supporting the outer end of [the operating red, the coupler being shown in phantom lines. 7

Fig; 2 is atop 'plan'view of the Fig. 1 arrange ent. Fi'g. 3'is an enlarged, fragmentary "top plan view showin'g the 'esitieh that the bitter end of the operating "ro'd "assume upon separation of the inner end of the rod tr'dmthe associated fearcoupler, and illustrating the time jtiofn foffithe 'shelffpo'rtidnjof the bracket in supporting The ,fdd;

I Fig, 14 is an enlarged, "fragmentary front elevational Fig. 5 is a enlarged a elevational view iareh'geneia'n a e Tine 5-5 01? Fig. 3, looking in the direction 'Fig. 6 'ls'a'l'renlaiged fragmentary endfele'vatidnal view,

similar to Fig, '5 but showiiigafrnodifieatidn of the iiivefi tion'. j l I i .I Ref eiring't'o the drawings, the "coupler operating "mech- 'anis'm"i shownapplied'toa coupler 2 (indicated by d'ot- 45 f das hesy and theehdof a car body -4. The ehupler isinjbunted' on theear by means f the usual s'u peri st uc'ture 6 (also shown in dot-dash lines) 'and' in the 'erribodime'rit shown is'a'n A,A,R. Alternate'Standard Type F InterlockihgC ouple'r. It Will be ilnderstoodgofcourse,

"that "while the invention has been shown associated with a particular type dfcouplenit may he used with any coupler that 'iltil'i z'es an operating emi -coupling rod which atone end is connected to the uhloeldng 'n echanism of the coupler, and on th other end is "supperred on the *car "structure by means of a bracket.

'In embodimen shown, he 'eheiati gred s is a conveht enal AAR, Standard Operating R'o'd for the aforementioned "type F coupler, and comprises on'its inner end a ll-shaped hook portion 12 for connection to a 'roto'rs haft member 16 which is mounted theiihde side "of a'reeuplei head :for rotation about a generally hd i'zehtal aiiis. As'eahb best seen in Fig. 2, the fear Rjo'tor shaf 1 th ,eehhee tedf e the hs ihl ale'e ih' 'ihe hhhis h the; shown which lifts the "lock or he 6n- 3 thereof. Adjacent handle portion 18, rod 5 comprises a substantially horizontal portion 20 which is received in the usual U-shaped bearing portion 22 formed by upwardly projecting legs 22a and 22b of bracket structure 24. Bridging means, such as cotter pin 23 and associated roller member 25, are attached to the upper end portion of both legs and thus close the upper end of bearing section 22, in the usual manner, to form a closed bearing portion and thus positively maintain rod 5 in assembled condition on the bracket. The inner periphery of bearing portion 22 fits loosely (as shown) around the rod 5 at normal operating positions and permits transverse movement of the rod with respect to the car in response to horizontal angling movement of the coupler 2, as is well understood by those skilled in the art. Bracket 24 also comprises bottom flange portion 26 and upstanding wall portion 28. Wall portion 28 has openings therein for receiving rivets 30 which attach to engage portion of the operating rod to support the rod above the track bed in the event that the inner hook-end 12 of the rod becomes detached from rotor shaft member 16 on the coupler. Shelf 34 comprises a generally flat, substantially horizontal bottom wall 36 which is reinforced with upstanding front and rear web portions 36a and 36b extending generally upwardly therefrom and merging with bearing portion 22 and rear wall 28, respectively, of the bracket. As the drawing discloses, the width of the bottom wall 36, as measured between the web portions 36a and 36b is substantially greater than the leg-to-leg width of the opening provided for the rod by the bearing portion 22. It will be seen that shelf portion 34 is disposed at a lower elevation with respect to bearing portion 22 in subjacent relation with the operative position of an operating rod (see rod 5) resting in the U-shaped bearing portion 22. The shelf 34 is disposed at a higher elevation with respect to bottom flange 26 of the bracket. When the operating rod is attached at its inner end to rotor shaft 16 and at'its outer end is in normal supported position in bearing portion 22, substantial clearance exists between shelf 34 and the rod so that no interference occurs between the rod and the shelf during rotational or transverse movement of the rod on the car structure.

However, in the event that the inner end of the rod becomes detached from the rotor shaft 16 of the coupler, as for instance would occur if coupler 2 accidentally pulls out from the end of its car, support shelf 34 engages portion 20 of the rod and in conjunction with roller supports the latter above the track bed. In this connection, as coupler 2 is pulled away from the car end, the rod 5 is pulled by the coupler through bearing portion 22 of bracket 24 until handle portion 18 of the rod engages the outer side of portion 22, as is generally shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In the latter position, it will be apparent that no further transverse sliding movement of the rod, with respect to the bracket, can occur as the coupler continues to be pulled outwardly of the car. With a rotor shaft embodying the slotted construction, as disclosed in the aforementioned Kozak application, the inner end 12 of the rod will pass through slot 17 in the rotor shaft head and is no longer supported on the shaft, but drops downwardly toward the track bed, while the outer end of the rod angles vertically about bearing portion 22 until portion 20 of the 'rod engages wall 36 of the shelf. Thereafter, the

rod bears with its top surface against roller member 25 and with its under surface against wall 36 of the shelf, as shown, to maintain the rod elevated above the track bed and prevent it from becoming entangled with the car or the track bed. It will be noted that wall 36 and front web 36a of the shelf are flared forwardly as at 39 (Fig. 3) to provide sufficient bearing area for all possible angling movements of the rod during separation from the rotor shaft. In this connection, it will be noted from Fig. 5 of the drawings that front web 36a of the shelf is inclined rear-wardly to merge with bearing portion 22 of the bracket.

Fig. 6 shows a modification of the invention wherein the support shelf 40 is of generally conically curved section rather than being flat, as in the first described embodiment. The supporting surface 42 of the shelf in this embodiment converges toward and merges with the U-shaped bearing surface 44 of the bracket in a generally symmetrical relationship, as shown. This construction serves to maintain the operating rod in a generally stable, centralized position on shelf 40. In all other operating respects, shelf 40 is similar to the first described embodiment of the invention.

The novel bracket is readily interchangeable with existing types of brackets and does not require any structural changes to be made in the coupler or coupler operating rod. Moreover, it will be apparent that the support shelf portion could be made as a separate part and attached, as by means of welding, to existing constructions of brackets.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, it will be readily understood that the invention provides a novel operating rod bracket embodying support means for maintaining the rod above the track bed in the event the inner end of the rod is detached from the associatedcar coupler, and will prevent the rod from becoming entangled with the track bed or associated railway vehicle.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention of excluding such equivalents of the invention described or of the portions thereof as fall within the purview of the claims.

What is claimed is: V

1 In combination, a car coupler for a railway vehicle having an operating rod for actuating the unlocking mechanism of said coupler and an operating rod bracket secured to said vehicle, said rod being connected at one end to said coupler and at its other end being supported in relationship to said vehicle on said bracket only, said bracket including a bearing portion for rotatlvely mounting said rod thereon and integral support means spaced downwardly from said bearing portion to underlie said rod, said support means extending laterally from and diagonally forwardly of said bearing portion, said means being engageable in supporting relationship with said rod in the event the rod becomes detached from said coupler to prevent said rod from dropping to the associated railway track bed.

2. In an arrangement of the type described, a car coupler having a rotor shaft operatively connected to the unlocking mechanism of the coupler, a coupler operating rod connected at one end to said shaft, and a bracket member attached to the associated railway vehicle and forming the sole support for the other end of said rod, said bracket member comprising bearing means, said means permitting both rotational and transverse sliding movement of said rod with respect to said means, and support means integral with and extending laterally and diagonally forwardly from said bearing means in underlying spaced relationship with said rod, said support means being disposed at a lower elevation than said bearing means and being engageable with said rod in the event that the latter becomes detached from said shaft to prevent said rod from becoming entangled with the associated track bed and railway vehicle.

3. In combination, a car coupler operating rod and a bracket secured to an associated railway vehicle and forming the sole support for one end of said rod, said bracket comprising a raised bearing portion for rotatively mounting said rod thereon and a shelf portion integral with and disposed ,at a generally lower elevation than said bearing portion, said shelf portion underlying said rod and being engageable therewith in supporting relationship in the event the other end of said rod becomes disassociated from the coupler, said shelf portion comprising a generally horizontal support wall extending laterally and diagonally forwardly with respect to said bearing portion.

4. The combination in accordance with claim 3, wherein said shelf portion comprises generally upstanding front and rear webs disposed respectively adjacent the corresponding extremities of said wall.

5. The combination in accordance with claim 3, wherein said shelf portion comprises a bottom wall of generally conical section configuration extending laterally from said bearing portion.

6. A bracket for mounting one end of an operating rod of a car coupler on a railway vehicle, said bracket comprising a generally horizontal flange portion and an upstanding rear wall portion for attaching said bracket to the railway vehicle, a shelf portion projecting laterally from one end of said bracket, and a bearing disposed generally intermediate said flange and shelf portions for rotatively supporting the rod thereon, said shelf portion being integral with and disposed at a generally lower elevation than said bearing portion in underlying spaced relationship with respect to the rod, said shelf portion being engageable in supporting relationship with said rod upon predetermined downward angling movement of the latter about said bearing portion, and said shelf portion comprising a generally horizontal wall having generally upstanding webs disposed adjacent the front and rear extremities of said wall.

7. A bracket for mounting an operating rod adapted to operate a car coupler upon manual rotation of the rod, said bracket comprising an upstanding wall having means connected thereto for attaching the bracket to an associated railway vehicle, a bearing portion extending forwardly from said wall for rotatively supporting said rod thereon, and a shelf extending laterally of said hearing portion in underlying spaced relationship with respect to said rod, said shelf being of generally conical section configuration with the top surface thereof converging toward and merging with said bearing portion.

8. A bracket in accordance with claim 7, wherein said bearing portion comprises a transversely extending generally U-shaped bearing surface, said top surface of said shelf merging with said bearing surface in a generally symmetrical relationship in a transverse direction.

9. A bracket for supporting a coupler-operating rod of a railway vehicle comprising, in a normal operating position, a vertical wall, a U-shaped bearing portion supported by the wall entirely to one side of the plane of the Wall with one leg of said portion further away from said plane than the other and with its legs joining at the lower closed end of the bearing portion, detachable bridging means extending between and secured to said legs, the bridging means being spaced from said closed end and the legs being spaced to provide the bearing portion with an opening for loosely encircling an operating rod, and a shelf portion having an upwardly-facing potentially rod-supporting surface extending in a direction outwardly from said plane past and beyond said opening along one side of the bearing portion, said surface being of substantially greater width in said direction than the leg-to-leg width of the opening and disposed relatively to the level of the opening in spaced subjacent relation with the normal operative position occupied by an operating rod connected with a coupler and extending through said opening.

10. In combination with a bracket having a U-shaped bearing portion of which the legs are spaced to receive and loosely support the coupler-operating rod of a railway car, a support shelf having potentially rod-supporting surface of substantially greater width than the leg-to-leg width of the bearing portion; and means connecting the shelf with the bracket to position said surface adjacent said bearing portion with said width of the surface aligned in generally parallel opposite but projecting relation with said leg-to-leg width, said shelf being disposed by the connecting means to position said surface in spaced sub jacent facing relation with the normal operative position of an operating rod resting in said bearing portion for receiving and supporting said rod in the event of coupler pull-out.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,247,221 Campbell Nov. 20, 1917 1,297,440 Campbell Mar. 18, 1919 2,129,165 Conwell Sept. 6, 1938 

